Game-in and game-out, Dracula continues to make his return in the Castlevania series. Outside of a handful of games, he appeared as a final boss time and again. However, each and every time, Dracula is sent careening back to hell, often by a Belmont, though not exclusively as he has also been defeated by Jonathan Morris and his own son, Alucard. So why does Dracula go through the hassle of reviving in the first place?

The original Castlevania released in September 1986, and has since received dozens of sequels and spinoffs that tell the tale of good fighting evil. While many of the original games took up the side-scrolling action platformer style of game, Symphony of the Night popularized the exploration and RPG elements that players know and love.

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The main plot of nearly all Castlevania games revolves around the return of Dracula's tiitular castle, as well as Dracula himself. Despite this, Dracula wasn't always known by that name. He was originally known as Mathias Cronqvist, but after the death of his wife, he cursed God and believed that the only way to get revenge was to become immortal, which he achieved through the use of the Crimson Stone. This not only gave him control over Death, but also allowed him to steal the power of other vampires after their defeat, eventually turning him into the most powerful vampire. He eventually took up the name Dracula after the death of his second wife, Lisa, mother of Alucard.

Castlevania Dracula Fireball

Dracula's first death happened in 1476 at the hands of Trevor Belmont, Alucard, Sypha Belnades, and Grant Danasty. His first resurrection happened three years later when Death resurrected Dracula through the body of the dead forgemaster Isaac, though he was sent back to the grave by Hector, ridding the land of Dracula for a century. In 1576, Dracula's cycle of reincarnation began to manifest as the power of Christ weakened every 100 years and darkness would fill men's souls enough to seek the resurrection of Dracula.

This cycle of resurrection and inevitable defeat continued, and Dracula would often remark that one could never truly defeat him. That began to change in 1797 when Dracula was again defeated by his son, Alucard. As he lay defeated, he asked his son to tell him his wife's final words before he passed. Alucard informed Dracula that Lisa never wished for him to hate humans and wanted him to know she'd love him for all eternity. For once, Dracula seemed to regret what he'd done and called out for her forgiveness before fading away.

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lisa and dracula

However, this wouldn't stop Dracula's resurrection, as mankind or other vampires continued to bring him back. Each and every time, Dracula would again face defeat and was sent to his death -- but each time, someone else brought him back. This went on until 1999, which was supposed to be his final death, as the heroes bound Dracula's power after defeating him in hopes of him never being able to return.

However, Death (with the use of the grimoires where they sealed Dracula's power) and the Crimson Stone brought back Dracula in the mobile game Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls. Here, Dracula was once more defeated, but not before remarking about his cycle of reincarnation. It wasn't by his own hands that he was constantly given flesh but through the negative emotions of mankind. The cycle would continue whether he wanted it to or not, but he would accept peace until the world called for his presence once more.

Despite all the carnage and evil brought about by Dracula, his continued resurrection makes him something of a tragic figure. If it were up to him, he would likely choose to remain dead and spend eternity with the woman he loved. Yet, through humanity's greed and the evil within them, Dracula's resurrection comes to pass over and over, causing even the lord of darkness himself to question why it must be this way. Perhaps Dracula was right at the beginning of Symphony of the Night: a man is just a miserable little pile of secrets.